Jardim Near Campinas Province of Sao Paulo April the 11, 1869.
Dear Sister and family.
I seat my self to answer your letter of Jan 10 which was received Mar 28. We are all well and verry busy picking cotton and gathering corn. This is the fall of the year with us. The boys have raised corn and vegetables plenty. They have 5 acres in cotton it is generly as high as my head and I hav sean as many as too hundred and four pods on one stalk our sweet potatoes are verry good I have got the yellow yam got them from a man the name Green Ferguson from Chester Dis SC.
The Brazilians have a grate many difernt kinds of potatoes some as red as Beet verry good and very large Orranges are ripe now plumbs are begining to ripen. Wee have some kind of fruit all the time both gathering and laying up for winter as you have doo for both man and beast.
I have not made any home spun cloth since I came to Brazil corse cloth sutch as the Negros ware is verry high 50 cts a vara 45 inches the Brazil mesure I have got a wheal it is not anathing like the ones you use the fliers is under the rim it is made out of mahogany wood cost 10 dollars wee hav 3 verry good horses 2 cows 19 hogs I want to get a place of my own. There is a grate many that say they will not buy a lot. They can get land for so little rent verry often doo not give any They are a grate many buying Negrous one man Mr. White is buying and selling making a grate prophet he says. I doo not think I ever will by a Negro agane wee can get along so well and have no grumbling about work. I can hire when wee nead help. Wee have a grate deal of company. Evry american that comes in the neighbourhood counts on staying a day or too. There are familyes settled in Campinas this last month. There is a good many young men working in Brazilians familyes. I think all the old Batchelors in Texes & Missippie must cum to Brazil. There is a yong man the name Yancey teaching in the family wher William was teaching he is a son of Yancey. The grate Oriter of Alabama1 ther is a Wilson here from Texes says he was rased in Ohio his Fathers name William Wilson I think he is a relation of ours he says he had an Uncle Robert and Joseph he was in bad health when he came here but he thinks it is improving.
Wee are all invited to a big wedding next week at old Mr Arodas his daughter is marring a Docter and he is verry well pleased. They will have a grand afare I supose the have four set of waters the parents generly make the matches hare the yong mans Father generly goes and names the subject to the yong ladys Father and if they can agree they yong man goes and is permited to have a chat with the lady and if they agree they mary right of. The lady stil keeps her fathers name but puts the husbands too it.
Tell Harison Torrence wee hav as good watter here as ther is in Gaston NC and if he was here and workt as hard as he dose there he would soon get ritch give my love to all my relations and friends. I want you all to write me often I am always glad to hear from my native land I wish to know every thing about my friends as much as I ever did always write all the deaths in my aquantances when you write a gane I want you to get the year and month that Franklin and Mary was maried you can get it in Mothers family bible if you can see it. I send you a crap I doo not want my friends to wate for me to write to them all but write to me, farewell Ruth, Mary W Torrence & families
In the margin: Tell W W Torrence I would like to receive a letter from him the children often speak of him I wrote a letter to Mrs Ginkens a year ago did she get it. William wrote one to J. J Carrida & one to Malisa. Wee never received an ancer. Who is preaching at Olney? Who at St. Trinity? Is Mr. Freman preaching did any one put up a head of rock to mothers grave? PRH Apr 20